Adjuvant blend for spray on fruit or foliage

ABSTRACT

An adjuvant that is applied to foliage or fruit or both of a plant and comprises an effective amount ammonium sulfate, an effective amount of an alkyl polysaccharide and n effective amount of a mono, di or polysaccharide. The adjuvant is dispersed in a selected amount of water along with a selected amount of micronutrients or secondary nutrients such that when applied to foliage or fruit or both of the plant, the adjuvant causes an increase in the intake of the micronutrients or secondary nutrients applied to foliage or fruit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/517,232, filed Nov. 4, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a foliar or fruit appliedadjuvant and fertilizer. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to an adjuvant that is applied to the foliage and/or fruit thatincreases the intake of nutrients by a plant into the fruit through thefoliage and/or fruit.

Typically, fertilizers or nutrients are broadcast onto the ground andare either tilled into the soil or allowed to disperse through a groundlayer and into the soil. Once in the soil, the nutrients are taken intoplants, whether trees, cash crops, grass or other types of plants,through the root system.

There are instances when applying desired fertilizers or nutrients tothe plant through the root system is impractical or impossible due tothe location of the plants, the size of the plants or the condition ofthe soil. Whatever, the reason, there are times when the plant requiresnutrients and the only means of delivering the nutrients to the plant isthrough a foliar spray.

However, some nutrients do not readily absorb into the plant through thefoliage. Additionally, some nutrients must be dispersed over the foliagein relatively low concentrations and absorbed over a large area toprevent damage to the foliage, such as “burning” by concentratednitrogen compounds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes an adjuvant that is applied to foliageand/or fruit of a plant. The adjuvant comprises an effective amount ofammonium sulfate, an effective amount of an alkyl polysaccharide and aneffective amount of a mono, di or polysaccharide. The adjuvant isdispersed in a selected amount of water along with a selected amount ofmicronutrients or secondary nutrients such that when applied to thefoliage or fruit, the adjuvant causes an increase in the intake of thenutrients into the fruit through the foliage or fruit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention includes a liquid adjuvant blend for use as afoliar spray and fruiting structure spray that includes water, ammoniumsulfate, an alkyl polysaccharide and a mono-di-or-polysaccharide such asfructose. The adjuvant blend is used to more evenly disperse the foliarspray over the foliage and/or fruit and increase the intake of amicronutrient or micronutrients and secondary nutrients by plants. Thepresent invention includes both a ready to use premix comprising aneffective amount of fructose, an effective amount of ammonium sulfate,an effective amount of an alkyl polysaccharide and an effective amountof the micronutrient or micronutrients, and secondary nutrients or amixture that is tank formulated onsite in a spray tank which is sprayedupon the foliage and/or fruit to increase the intake of themicronutrient or micronutrients and secondary nutrients. The presentinvention surprisingly increases intake of micronutrients and secondarynutrients by plants to significantly higher levels.

The micronutrients and secondary nutrients of interest in the presentinvention include iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, copper, calcium,boron, cobalt, iron (sulfur), sulfate, chlorine and molybdenum. Bymicronutrient is meant a nutrient whose natural level found in plants is0.01% or less. By secondary nutrient is meant calcium, magnesium andsulfur. By macronutrient is meant nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.The micronutrient or secondary nutrient comprises between about 0.0005weight percent and about 1.0 weight percent on a weight basis of thetotal weight of the spray, except in the case of sulfur the amount ofammonium sulfate would be excluded. The source of the micronutrients foruse in the adjuvant blend includes but is not limited to oxides,hydroxides, salts, carbonates, chlorides, nitrates, sulfates,sequestrates, chelates and complexes.

An unexhaustive list of oxides that may be useful in the presentinvention include FeO, Fe₂O₃, Fe₃O₄, ZnO, ZnO₂, CaO, CaO₂, MnO, MnO₂,Mn₂O₃, Mn₂O₇, Mn₃O₄, MgO, CuO, Cu₂O, B₂O₃, MoO, MoO₂, MoO₃, Mo₂O₃,Mo₂O₅, CoO, and Co₃O₄.

An unexhaustive list of sulfates that may be useful in the presentinvention include iron sulfate (FeSO₄), zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄), calciumsulfate (CaSO₄), manganese sulfate (MnSO₄), copper sulfate (CuSO₄),MgSO₄ molybdenum (molybdate salts), borates, polyborates, and cobaltsulfate (CoSO₄). Ammonium sulfate is preferred in a range from about 0to about 34% by weight The present invention also includes chelatedforms and complexes of the micronutrients. Some nonexhaustive examplesof chelates for use with micronutrients and secondary nutrients includeEDTA (Ethylene-diaminetetracetic acid), HEDTA(N-(hydroxyethyl)-ethylenediaminetriacetic acid), DTPA(Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid), EDDHA(ethylene-diaminedi-o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid), Citric Acid,EDTA/Citric Acid Combinations, and NTA (Nitrilotracetic Acid).

Complexes of the micronutrients may also be formed and used as a sourceof the micronutrient. A nonexhaustive list of complexes includeMannitols and other complexing sugars, Glucoheptonates, Lignosulfonates,Humates, and Amino Acids.

A nonexhaustive list of mono-di-and polysaccharides that may be usefulin the present invention include glucose, fructose, galactose, mannose,lactose, fucose, xylose, amylose, raffinose, maltotriose, glucosides,trehalose, and saccharide alcohols such as mannitol, sorbitol, xylitoland maltitol and compositions containing sugar such as molasses. Themono-di-and polysaccharides are preferred in a range from about 1.0 toabout 20% by weight

The alkyl polysaccharide of the present invention is a commerciallyavailable surfactant. The alkyl polysaccharides is preferred in a rangefrom about 1 to about 20% by weight. Alkyl polysaccharides useful in thepresent invention include Agrimul PG 2069®, and APG 325®, available fromHenkel Corporation of Ambler, Pa. Agrimul PG 2069® includes alkylpolyglycoside polymers with alkyl chains of nine carbons in aconcentration of 20% by weight, ten carbon atoms in a concentration of40% by weight and eleven carbon atoms in a concentration of 40% byweight The alkyl polyglycoside has an average degree of polymerizationof 1.6, and is considered a non-ionic surfactant. It is non-gelling,biodegradable and soluble in dispersions of high salt concentrations.

Another alkyl polysaccharide of use is sold under the trade name AT Plus438®, available from Uniqema Surfactant of Wilmington, Del. This alkylpolysaccharide is based on glucose and fatty alcohols derived from plantsources.

By utilizing the present invention, it has been found that at leastabout a 20% increase in intake of the micronutrients occurred overfoliar spray without an adjuvant. Samples taken from plants haveinherent variability levels of micronutrients. It is believed that anincrease of about 20% represents a statistically significant increase.

Table 1 set forth below shows the results of treatment of soybeans withFe with the adjuvant blend of the present invention (alkylpolysaccharide, fructose and ammonium sulfate). With no treatment,soybeans had a natural Fe content of 89 ppm (parts per million). Foliarspray of Fe without an adjuvant showed an increase in Fe content ofapproximately 168 ppm. Using adjuvants such as a non-ionic surfactant asdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,260, the Fe content in soybeans wasincreased to 191 ppm (12% increase over Fe without adjuvant). Utilizinga methylated seed oil adjuvant as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,033,the Fe content in soybeans was 171 ppm (5% increase over Fe withoutadjuvant). Neither adjuvant increased Fe intake significantly when usedas a foliar spray. However, utilizing the adjuvant blend of the presentinvention as a foliar spray, the Fe content increased to 257 ppm whichis a 53% increase over Fe foliar application without an adjuvant.

TABLE 1 Fe Content in Foliar Spray Treatment₁ Soybeans (ppm)₄ Notreatment 89 Fe without adjuvant 168 Fe with non-ionic surfactant₂ 191Fe with methylated seed oil₃ 171 Fe with alkyl polysaccharide, 257fructose and ammonium sulfate ₁Amount of Fe applied in each case wasconstant and the amount of adjuvant used when the adjuvant was used wasalso kept constant. ₂U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,260 ₃U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,033₄Values are the mean from three combined replications. (Each replicationis the mean of 10 samples.)

A study of the efficacy of individual components of the adjuvant blendof the present invention as individual adjuvants was also conducted. Thecomponents studied examined Fe content in soybeans. The amount of Feapplied was constant along with the amount of component used as anadjuvant. Utilizing “no treatment” as a control, the soybeans had anatural content of Fe of 90 ppm. Utilizing the adjuvant blend of thepresent invention, the Fe content in the soybeans increased to 169 ppm.

Utilizing only the ammonium sulfate as an adjuvant, the soybean contentwas 127 ppm, while utilizing the alkyl polysaccharide alone, the Fecontent in soybeans was 126 ppm while fructose utilization as anadjuvant increased Fe content to 107 ppm in the soybeans.

TABLE 2 Foliar Spray Treatment Fe Content in Soybeans (ppm) No treatment90 Fe with alkyl polysaccharide 169 fructose and ammonium sulfate Fewith ammonium sulfate 127 Fe with alkyl polysaccharide 126 Fe withfructose 107

As the results of Table 2 indicate, the three components, alkylpolysaccharide, ammonium sulfate and fructose, when combined for use asan adjuvant for foliar application increase micronutrient uptake muchmore than as individual components.

A further study was done to evaluate the increase of rate of applicationof adjuvant blend of the present invention while holding constant theamount of Fe being applied to the soybeans. The results of this studyare shown in Table 3 set forth below. Increasing the rate of applicationof the adjuvant blend while holding the amount of Fe being appliedconstant shows an increase in intake of Fe by the soybeans withincreasing application rate of the adjuvant blend.

TABLE 3 Foliar Spray Treatment Description Appl'n Fe Content in (FeApplication: 2 Quarts/Acre) Rate* Soybeans (ppm) Fe without adjuvant —225 Fe with adjuvant blend 0.6 238 Fe with adjuvant blend 1.2 247 Fewith adjuvant blend 2.5 256 Fe with adjuvant blend 3.75 273*Gallons/acre

The adjuvant blend of the present invention was used to increasemanganese (Mn) intake in soybeans. The results of this trial areillustrated in Table 4 below. With no treatment, soybeans had a naturalMn content of 77 parts per million. Application of Mn without adjuvantresulted in a Mn content of 146 parts per million in the soybeans.Utilizing the non-ionic surfactant of U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,260, the Mncontent in soybeans was 143 parts per million. Utilizing the adjuvantsystem of U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,033 the intake of manganese increased to189 parts per million. Utilizing the adjuvant blend of the presentinvention, the Mn content in soybeans was 197 parts per million whichwas a 35% increase over the application of Mn without an adjuvant.

TABLE 4 Foliar Spray Treatment₁ Mn Content in (Mn Application: 2Quarts/Acre) Soybeans ppm₄ No treatment 77 Mn without adjuvant 146 Mnwith non-ionic surfactant₂ 143 Mn with methylated seed oil₃ 189 Mn withalkyl polysaccharide, 197 fructose and ammonium sulfate ₁Amount of Mnapplied in each case was constant and the amount of adjuvant used whenthe adjuvant was used was also kept constant. ₂U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,260₃U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,033 ₄Values are the mean from three combinedreplications. (Each replication is the mean of 10 samples.)

Another study was performed applying Fe with no adjuvant and thenapplying Fe with the adjuvant blend of the present invention, keepingthe amount of Fe applied constant. The results of the study are listedin Table 5 below. As Table 5 indicates substantial increases in theintake of Fe by soybeans was realized when compared to foliar sprayingof soybeans with Fe without adjuvant, with the amount of Fe beingapplied being kept constant.

TABLE 5 Foliar Spray Treatment Fe Content in Soybeans (ppm) 1 Qt/Acre Fewithout adjuvant blend 175 1 Qt/Acre Fe with adjuvant blend 215 23%increase 2 Qts/Acre Fe without adjuvant blend 220 2 Qts/Acre Fe withadjuvant blend 252 15% increase 4 Qts/Acre Fe without adjuvant blend 2554 Qts/Acre Fe with adjuvant blend 334 31% increase

Table 6 set forth below shows the results of studies of various cropssubjected to foliar spray of micronutrients Zn, Mn, Fe and Cu withoutadjuvant, and the same micronutrients being applied with the adjuvantblend of the present invention. The adjuvant blend of the presentinvention aids in significant increase of micronutrient intake in corn,oats, soybeans, potatoes, alfalfa and rape seed of Zn, Mn, Fe and Cu.Situations in which a 20% or more increase of micronutrient intakeoccurred when compared to application without no adjuvant are indicatedwith a “+”. Those situations in which micronutrient intake did notresult in an increase of 20% or greater are indicated by a “−”.

TABLE 6 Crop Zn (ppm) Mn (ppm) Fe (ppm) Cu (ppm) Corn + + − −Oat + + + + Soybeans − + + − Potatoes − + + + Alfalfa + − + +Canola + + + + (Rape Seed) + Intake 20% or greater when compared tonutrient application without adjuvant. − Intake less than 20% whencompared to nutrient application without adjuvant.

Bitter pit is a physiological disorder in apple fruit. Bitter pit isseen as dark sunken pits and brown corky tissue on the surface ofapples. Research indicates that calcium deficiency is a key to bitterpit. Bitter pit can be controlled to some degree by ensuring an evencrop load on the tree and applying calcium spray directly to thedeveloping fruit To evaluate the efficacy of the adjuvant blend of thepresent invention, the adjuvant blend was applied with calcium chloridedirectly to Honeycrisp apples in Minnesota.

Presently, the level of calcium that may be required to prevent BitterPit in the apple fruit tissue of Honeycrisp apples is not known. It isalso not known whether the application of calcium alone will resolvebitter pit. However, as shown in Table 7 below, the use of the adjuvantblend of the present invention dramatically increases the intake ofcalcium by the apple fruit when applied directly to the fruit in aspray. For example, the natural calcium content with no application ofcalcium chloride in Honeycrisp apples is 0.055%. With a spray applyingcalcium chloride without adjuvant blend, the intake of calcium by theapple fruit was increased to 0.075%. However, using the adjuvant blendof the present invention, the calcium content increased to 0.175%.

TABLE 7 Ca Content in Apple Treatment Peels (% of Ca) No treatment .055CaCl₂ without .075 adjuvant blend CaCl₂ with fructose, ammonium sulfateand .175 alkyl polysaccharide

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

1. An adjuvant capable of application to foliage or fruit of a plant,the adjuvant comprising: an effective amount of ammonium sulfate; anamount of an alkyl polysaccharide in a range between greater than 1.0 toabout 20 weight percent; and a mono, di or polysaccharide in a rangebetween greater than 1.0 weight percent and about 20 weight percent andwherein the adjuvant is capable of dispensing in a selected amount ofwater along with a selected amount of micronutrients or secondarynutrients such that after dispersal and when applied to the foliage orfruit of the plant, the adjuvant causes an increase in the intake of thenutrients into the fruit through the foliage or fruit.
 2. The adjuvantof claim 1 and wherein the mono, di or polysaccharide comprisesfructose.
 3. The adjuvant of claim 1 and wherein the effective amount ofammonium sulfate is in a range of between about 0 weight percent and 34weight percent on a weight basis.
 4. The adjuvant of claim 2 and whereinthe effective amount of fructose is in a range of between about 1.0weight percent and about 20 weight percent on a weight basis.
 5. Theadjuvant of claim 1 and wherein the adjuvant when dispersed in the watercomprises between about 0.25 weight percent and about 5 weight percentof the combined mixture of water and the adjuvant.
 6. A spray capable ofproviding micronutrients to a plant through the plant's foliage orfruit, the spray comprising: an effective amount of water; an effectiveamount of micronutrients or secondary nutrients; and an adjuvantcomprising: an effective amount of ammonium sulfate; an amount of alkylpolysaccharide in a range between greater than 1.0 to about 20 weightpercent; and a mono, di or polysaccharide in a range between greaterthan 1.0 weight percent and about 20 weight percent and wherein theadjuvant is capable of dispersing in a selected amount of water alongwith the effective amount of micronutrients or secondary nutrients suchthat after dispersal and when applied to the foliage or fruit of theplant, the spray causes an increase in the uptake of the nutrients intothe fruit through the foliage or fruit.
 7. The spray of claim 6 andwherein the micronutrients or secondary nutrients comprise iron, zinc,manganese, magnesium, copper, calcium, boron, cobalt, iron (sulfur),sulfate, chlorine and molybdenum.
 8. The spray of claim 6 and whereinthe micronutrients or secondary nutrients comprise oxides, hydroxides,salts, carbonates, chlorides, nitrates, sulfates, sequestrates, chelatesand complexes.
 9. The spray of claim 6 and wherein the mono, di orpolysaccharide comprises fructose.
 10. The spray of claim 6 and whereinthe effective amount of ammonium sulfate is in a range of between about0 weight percent and 34 weight percent of the adjuvant on a weightbasis.
 11. The spray of claim 9 and wherein the effective amount offructose is in a range of between about 1.0 weight percent and about 20weight percent of the adjuvant on a weight basis.
 12. The spray of claim6 and wherein the adjuvant is dispersed in the water such that theadjuvant comprises between about 0.25 weight percent and about 5 weightpercent of the combined mixture of water and the adjuvant.
 13. The sprayof claim 7 wherein the micronutrient or secondary nutrient comprisesbetween about 0.0005 weight percent and about 1.0 weight percent of thetotal weight of the spray except in the case of sulfur the amount ofammonium sulfate would be excluded.
 14. A method of providingmicronutrients or secondary nutrients to a plant comprising: admixinginto water a selected amount of an adjuvant comprising: an effectiveamount of ammonium sulfate; an amount of alkyl polysaccharide in a rangebetween greater than 1.0 to about 20 weight percent; and a mono, di orpolysaccharide in a range between greater than 1.0 weight percent andabout 20 weight percent; admixing into the water a selected amount of amicronutrient or secondary nutrient; and spraying the mixture of thewater, the adjuvant and the micronutrient or secondary nutrient ontofoliage or fruit of a plant and wherein adjuvant disperses themicronutrient or secondary nutrient on the foliage or fruit to increasethe intake of the micronutrient or secondary nutrient into the fruitthrough the foliage or fruit.
 15. The method of claim 14 and wherein themicronutrients or secondary nutrients comprise iron, zinc, manganese,magnesium, copper, calcium, boron, cobalt, iron (sulfur), sulfate,chlorine and molybdenum.
 16. The method of claim 14 and wherein themicronutrients or secondary nutrients comprise oxides, hydroxides,salts, carbonates, chlorides, nitrates, sulfates, sequestrates, chelatesand complexes.
 17. The method of claim 14 and wherein the mono, di orpolysaccharide comprises fructose.
 18. The method of claim 14 andwherein the effect amount of ammonium sulfate is in a range of betweenabout 0 weight percent and 34 weight percent of the adjuvant on a weightbasis.
 19. The method of claim 17 and wherein the effective amount offructose is in a range of between about 1.0 weight percent and about 20weight percent of the adjuvant on a weight basis.
 20. The method ofclaim 14 and wherein the adjuvant when dispersed in the water comprisesbetween about 0.25 weight percent and about 5 weight percent of thecombined mixture of water and the adjuvant.
 21. The method of claim 14and wherein the micronutrient or secondary nutrient comprises betweenabout 0.0005 weight percent and about 1.0 weight percent of the totalweight of the spray except in the case of sulfur the amount of ammoniumsulfate would be excluded.